Guitarist • Composer • Educator • Clinician • Administrator

Bio

Mark Koch is the Director of Jazz Guitar for Duquesne University’s Guitar Department, and Co-director of student Jazz guitar ensembles.

His guitar teachers were Hoyt “Slim” Bryant, Joe Negri, Ron Anthony, Joe Carola, Pat Monaco, and Bill Clydsdale, Mark also has studied Jazz theory and piano with Robert Doak and composition with Mike Tomaro. Mark Koch also studied with Pat Martino and appeared with Mr. Martino in the documentary, “Pat Martino: Open Road.”

2001-2013 Mark was the Administrative Director of the MENC/NAMM/GAMA (Music Educators National Conference / National Association of Music Merchants / Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association) “Teaching Guitar” in the classroom program, which was created to revitalize the guitar in education. This very successful task force has trained more than 1,000 high school and middle school music teachers across the United States, who in turn taught more than 280,000 young guitarists.

In 1986 he was a founding member of Duquesne University’s Guitar & Bass Workshop and was Director from 1998-2011

His solid reputation as a studio musician had led him to recording sessions for US Airways, Pappan Restaurants, the University of Pittsburgh, Roy Rogers, and Four Star Pizza. He has also worked with local radio and TV stations such as WQED, WTAE, WDVE, 3WS and WPXI and a variety of local musician’s CD projects.

Koch was the musical supervisor and guitar tutor for Mel Shapiro’s “The Lay of the Land,” directed by actress Lee Grant and staring actor Greg Mullavey.

He was also the guitarist for the Pittsburgh Public Theatre Production of “The Hairy Ape” with musical director and Jazz legend Max Roach. The production, directed by George Ferencz, was filmed for the Lincoln Center Archives. He was a Guest Speaker in a 2000 City Theatre production of “Sideman.”